www.Myhometownnews.net, (March 23rd, 2007) –
By Warren Kagarise Staff writer

VERO BEACH - Fish-shaped fountains playfully squirted water and chaise lounges beckoned from beneath palm fronds at the Vero Beach Hotel & Club, which held its opening celebration last week. The first guests at the 50-room first phase of the resort began checking in a month ago. The new four-story building, done up in neutral tones and cut Jerusalem stone, replaced a DoubleTree Hotel that was damaged in the 2004 hurricanes and later razed. Next door, crews are working on the second, 33-room phase of the project, which is slated to open later this year. "The barrier island needs this drastically," said Mayor Tom White, who attended the late-morning ceremony. He said the city's economic vitality is tied to projects such as the hotel, which attract top-dollar tourists. "Vero's never had something like this," the mayor said.
Bellhops wearing pith helmets and flowing shirts greeted the dignitaries who turned out for the March 15 ribbon cutting. Afterward, guests gathered around the aquamarine water of the hotel's pool to sip tropical drinks and listen to Caribbean-inflected music. In the background, whitecaps dotted the turquoise surface of the Atlantic, only a few hundred yards from the pool's edge. "This is a wonderful little community, it's a jewel," said the hotel's developer, George Heaton of Singer Island-based Heaton Cos. "You needed a great hotel." In the aftermath of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004, Mr. Heaton saw opportunity. "The storms were kind of a healthy thing," he said, because they cleared away properties that had begun to show their age or were not built up to code. Heaton Cos. also owns the property. Naples-based Coral Hospitality manages the hotel.
The Vero Beach Hotel & Club, located on Ocean Drive at Banyan Road, features one- and two-bedroom suites. Inside, blindingly white walls, dark wood and glass lanterns evoke the West Indies. Dave Parker, the Heaton Cos. asset manager, said the Vero Beach Hotel & Club represented an "outstanding upgrade" for the city. Under an arrangement with the hotel, buyers can purchase one of the suites, occupy it for part of the year and then rent it out for the rest. The owner and the hotel split the profits after expenses. Mr. Heaton said 28 of the 50 units in the first phase had been sold. Prices start at $795,000. Rooms, which range from $279 to $729 a night, are outfitted with mahogany furniture and flat-screen and plasma televisions.
The second phase of the project will feature the Indigo Room, a restaurant with expansive views of the Atlantic, said Peter Serena, the hotel's general manager. The cuisine, he continued, will be a fusion of Caribbean and Florida styles, with an emphasis on seafood and fresh fruits. A 5,000-square foot spa is also planned for the second phase. The quality of construction, amenities and beachfront location, Mr. Serena said, "are really going to set us apart."